Course Overview

"One of the best courses I ever joined in my whole studies!!! So happy to be joining it. It really creates interest for the subject and the teacher combines theory and practice perfectly well."
(Module evaluation WS20/21)

Language: English

Overview 

This course deals with strategic questions of diversified conglomerates and particularly questions of growth. The course complements strategy courses that deal with competitive/ business level strategy. While ‘business level strategy’ is concerned with the sources of competitive advantage in a particular industry, corporate level strategy is concerned with the very scope of the firm: Which businesses should be part of the group and in which countries and regions? How does the group manage the relationship between those businesses in order to achieve synergy? What is the role of corporate headquarters? How should the firm grow? What is the role of M&A and strategic alliances? The module prepares students for careers in large, global companies as well as for jobs in strategy consulting and international professional service firms.

Learning Outcomes

Students are able to understand business vs. corporate level strategic issues, organic and non-organic growth options and the role of corporate centre on value creation.
Students are able to critically apply theories and frameworks to real situations.

Career 

This course is beneficial for students seeking careers in corporate strategy, strategy consulting as well as private equity and investment banking.

"The module is a really interesting offer and finally provides the opportunity to gain deeper insights into "real work life" and to gain relevant knowledge and experience for the future, which is especially helpful for Master students, who are towards the end of their studies and their career entry."
(Module evaluation SS21)

Language: German

Overview

Regardless of economic trends and uncertainties, management consultancies are among the most popular employers among business graduates. Management consultancies support companies in solving highly complex organizational or strategic issues. The course Management Consulting Challenge gives students the opportunity to work on real projects for companies and take on the role of a 'management consultant'. 

Learning Outcomes

• Theoretical basics of Management Consulting
• Basic technical knowledge for Management Consulting from project conception to customer relations
• Methodical basic knowledge for Management Consulting
• Application of knowledge in practice in interaction with companies

Career

Preparation for a job in the consulting field as well as in the field of project management.

"It was probably the course with the most hours spent on in my entire time at universities, but it was totally worth it. Amazing case, provides a lot of freedom to students, and very strong organization and support by the professor."
(Module evaluation SS21)

Language: English

Overview

There is compelling evidence that shows that organizations find it hard to adapt to changing environments. We will discuss the challenges behind radical transformation, the triggers as well as the underlying mechanisms and actors. This is a highly interactive course.  Rather than in traditional lectures, this course is entirely based on a role play in which you ‘enact’ the radical transformation of a complex, large organization. The objective of the course is to give you the opportunity to ‘experience’ the complexity of strategy making in the context of transformation within the confines of a university setting.  You will suggest a future course of action of a particular company (‘a group’) that we will select. You will work in teams that will represent the main internal and external stakeholders involved (corporate center, business units, financial press).

Learning Outcomes

• Students understand approaches to strategic transformation
• This course aims to develop the capability of students as future managers
• Students learn how manoeuvre complex questions in a practical context
• Students learn how to work in teams and deal with incomplete information
• Students learn how to apply theory to real contexts

Career

This course is beneficial for students seeking careers in corporate strategy, strategy consulting, in change management, or generally a leadership position. 

"Strategic practice and process outperformed my expectations. It is (up to now) better and more interesting than expected! It sounded like it could be a very dry and uninteresting course but it really did meet and positively outperformed my expectations."
(Module evaluation SS21)

Language: English

Overview

This seminar focuses on the intersection of strategy and organization theory. More specifically, we will focus on a research field called “Strategy practice and process”. Currently one of the fastest growing research disciplines in strategy and organization research. Rather considering strategy as something organizations ‘have’, this literature focuses what people actually ‘do’ when they make strategy. This shift in perspective gives rise to vastly different research questions and results that are of high relevance for management practice.

Learning Outcomes

Students engage in depth with the literature on strategy practice and process

• Ability to engage with complex theoretical ideas
• Critically engage with different theoretical perspectives
• Ability to synthesize and present complex ideas

Career

This course is beneficial for students interested in combining practical and theoretical knowledge seeking for strategy consulting jobs and management positions.

"This course taught me a lot about research methods that will be able to apply in future, be it in other seminars or for my Masters dissertation. A really informative course, it really instigated my interest in research"
(Module evaluation WS 21/22)

Language: English

Overview

This course deals with qualitative methods in management and organization research. The course takes a process view of qualitative research. A process that goes from the establishment and negotiation of research access, to the collection and analysis of qualitative data through to the writing up of your findings as part of your thesis. Please consider this course a vital preparation for your Master dissertation. The course is designed in a highly practical way. While we will deal with some foundational questions of the philosophy of science the course is very applied. As part of the course you will have ample opportunity to apply different techniques in practice.

Learning Outcomes

• Know how to develop an empirical research project
• Understand the implications of different epistemological and ontological assumptions for the implementation of research designs
• Understand qualitative research designs
• Know how to collect different types of data
• Know how to code qualitative data and create a trail of evidence

Career

This course provides students with a general methodological tool kit relevant in all situations of data collection, be it in market research or in university settings. 

Overview

The course prepares students for a master thesis at the chair of strategy and organisation studies. The course deals with basics of scientific work.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of writing the master thesis the following learning outcomes shall be accomplished: 

• The students learn to work independently on a scientifically complex question
• They proactively compile a scientific paper and apply the knowledge acquired during their studies in a targeted and reflective manner
• In the scientific paper, students capture, analyze and discuss a selected topic
• The students possess competences for the processing of new complex tasks and problems in the area of business administration

Career

The meta-competencies gained while writing a master thesis are relevant for many different careers. 

"The contents were very interesting, I appreciate that there was always a link to the practice, and the professor created a comfortable and friendly but still professional atmosphere."
(Module evaluation WS 20/21)

Language: English

Overview 

This course deals with the fundamentals of competitive strategy on the level of the business unit or the focused, single business. You will engage in crucial aspects of strategy analysis, including industry analysis, the appraisal of sources of competitive advantage and the development and evaluation of strategic options. In addition to that we will also discuss selective issues of corporate level strategy, such as diversification. 

Learning Outcomes

• Students are able to juxtapose strategic questions on the business level and the corporate level
• Students have a critical understanding of theories and frameworks
• Students know how to apply theories and frameworks to real situations
• Students are able to articulate key strategic issues and to evaluate strategic options & recommend a course of action

Career

This course is beneficial for students seeking careers in corporate strategy, strategy consulting as well as general management and entrepreneurship.

"I‘ve learned so much in this class. Getting all those insights on different topics and theoretical constructs can be valuable to my future career."
(Module evaluation SS20)

Language: English

Overview

This seminar engages with some of the most pressing challenges that are faced by humanity today. While many of these challenges (take clean water or the climate crisis, for instance) are often thought to be in the realm of the natural sciences, this seminar makes the point that organization scholars have a lot to say about those challenges and that organization theory helps us to make sense of the intricacies and dynamics in involved in those challenges. In teams, you will deal with the following grand challenges: Environmental sustainability, corporate fraud, natural disasters and incidents, digitalization and society, healthcare.

Learning Outcomes

• Students develop a critical understanding of the key challenges in society
• Students learn how to use the tool kit of organization theory in order to analyze challengesin wider society
• Ability to present complex topics in a coherent and engaging way
• Ability to work in teams

Career

The course is relevant for all students which want to consider societal and ecological callenges in their career phases. 

"Very happy! The lecturer designed the course beautifully & was always available for his students! Generally, a very good climate to learn prevailed in the course."
(Module evaluation WS21/22)

Language: German

Overview

The content of the course is the application-oriented teaching of internationalization and market penetration strategies of companies. The theoretical content of the course will be deepened by means of case studies from international business practice and short presentations by students. The lecture content is based on the following areas:

• Internationalization of business activities 
• Generic internationalization strategies 
• Planning of internationalization 
• Understanding of trade-based, cooperative and direct-investment internationalization strategies 
• internationalization strategies 
• Generic internationalization strategies 

A central component of the course is the processing and presentation of case studies.  Application of this knowledge in case studies and promotion of 'out-of-the-box' thinking in the context of companies' internationalization activities. 

Learning Outcomes

• Students can analyze and evaluate complex interrelationships associated with different forms of market entry
• Students will be able to identify, analyze and classify problem areas in the planning of cross-border activities of companies
• Students take on responsibility for processes and products of working and learning in small groups

Career

The course is beneficial for students who aim to work in international business settings, strategy or consulting. 

"The course is taught in a really interesing way. Prof. Friesl  creates a positive learning atmosphere with his friendly character"
(Module evaluation SS21)

Language: German 

Overview

The course deals with the central problems of organizations: Why do companies change only when it is almost too late? Do we need bureaucracy? How are decisions made? Why do 'second movers' often have advantages over 'first movers'? The course builds on the discussion of these practical challenges to provide an overview of classical organizational theories:

• Coordination: bureaucracy and interaction
• Change: adapting to dynamic environmental conditions
• Legitimacy: dealing with institutional complexity and paradox Management: hierarchy and power
• Efficiency: Structures, Routines and Informal Organization

Learning Outcomes

• Students know basic concepts of organizational theory
• Students know central problems of organizations based on division of labor Ability to critically reflect different theoretical approaches
• Ability to apply theoretical approaches to concrete case studies

Career

The course is beneficial for careers in all kinds of organizations.

"Really a great course. The exercises helped to stay focused over the whole course. Perfectly organized, interesting topics, and motivated lecturer. My favourite course this year."
(Module evaluation SS21)

Language: German

Overview

In recent years, agile approaches and methods have been used not only in IT-related companies. The practice-oriented seminar lays the foundations for the topic of agility, which is viewed and critically reflected upon in the context of organizational change. In addition to the theoretical basics, students develop their own concepts based on practical examples. The following contents are planned:

• Introduction to the concept of agility: term, origin, meaning.
• Overview of the most common agile methods such as SCRUM
• Agility in the company organization - implementation examples and critical reflection

The focus is on exercises and discussions around practical examples (case studies).
As an exam performance you will develop and present a concrete concept in a simulated pitch situation and discuss it further in your term paper.

Learning Outcomes

• Students have an understanding of the basic features and practical relevance of agility
• Students have an overview of common agile methods
• Students are familiar with different ways of implementing agile approaches in thebusiness organization
• Presentation skills and ability to work in a team

Career

The course is interesting for all, which want to get insights into new forms of project management and want to pursue a career, whether in consulting, small or lagre organizations, in this field. 

"The Bachelorthesis seminar gave a nice introduction into the topic."
(Student WS21/22)

Overview

The course prepares students for a thesis at the chair of strategy and organisation studies. The course deals with basics of scientific work such das the evaluation of relevant literature or strcuturing the thesis. 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of writing the Bachelor thesis the following learning outcomes shall be accomplished: 

• The students learn to work independently on a scientifically complex question
• They proactively compile a scientific paper and apply the knowledge acquired during their studies in a targeted and reflective manner
• In the scientific paper, students capture, analyze and discuss a selected topic
• The students possess competences for the processing of new complex tasks and problems in the area of business administration

Career

The meta-competencies gained while writing a bachelor thesis are relevant for many different careers.